U.S. Senate Confirms New Chairman Of Joint Chiefs

The US Senate has confirmed Air Force Gen. CQ Brown as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and is poised to approve two other top military officers to key posts, marking the first breakthrough in a logjam caused by a blanket hold on promotions placed by Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Michael Marrow and Ashley Roque reported for the Associated Press (AP).

In a surprise twist in the months-long political saga, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced that the legislative body would hold a vote to confirm Brown, alongside Army Gen. Randy George and Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith to serve as leaders of their respective services. I Photo: MSG Jim Greenhill, National Guard Bureau

In a surprise twist in the months-long political saga, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced that the legislative body would hold a vote to confirm Brown, alongside Army Gen. Randy George and Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith to serve as leaders of their respective services.

Brown was the first of the three to receive votes, passing with an 83-11 vote. The timing for final votes on George and Smith was not clear, but both are expected to also pass with little opposition.

Schumer's move follows an unprecedented blockade by Tuberville, who has used Senate rules to unilaterally stall hundreds of military officers' nominations as a protest over a Pentagon policy that allows service members to receive travel reimbursements and leave when seeking an abortion.

More than 300 promotions, which are traditionally bundled together in large groups and passed simultaneously, or "en bloc," have been held in limbo as a result of Tuberville's hold, as reported by Breaking Defense.

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